"Uh… Mr. Skeleton Mage, did you respond to my summons?"
The voice came from behind Ander. He spun around angrily, his earlier frustration with the **Soulbound Pact** flaring up anew.
Reaching for the bone staff strapped behind his neck, Ander's first instinct was to clobber this foolish woman who had dragged him into such an absurd situation. But when he turned to see the summoner, he froze—he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Standing before him was a timid girl of about fourteen or fifteen. She gazed at Ander with wide, nervous eyes, and he couldn't help but size her up.
The girl's blond hair was dry and brittle, her young face smudged with dirt that created patches of light and dark. Despite this, her delicate features and gem-like black eyes shone with a clarity and innocence that sharply contrasted with her unkempt appearance. Her thin frame was clad in a worn, black dress, reminiscent of a maid's uniform in an old Western cartoon. Though simple and threadbare, it was surprisingly clean. In her small hands, she clutched a tattered piece of parchment that looked even more decrepit than Ander's *Kasnikov Notes*.
Ander prided himself on not being someone who bullied the weak, so he resigned himself to lowering his staff. The girl's condition puzzled him. Judging by the spotless state of her room and her neat clothing, she didn't seem like a messy person. So why was her face so dirty?
"Are you Christina Veci?"
The girl hesitated, her face reddening under Ander's intangible gaze. When she seemed too shy to speak, Ander decided to break the silence himself. After all, they were bound by a Soulbound Pact now—his thoughts could flow freely into her mind.
---
"Uh… Yes, Mr. Skeleton Mage, I'm Christina…"
The girl startled slightly at Ander's telepathic message and attempted to reply in kind. But in the end, she couldn't resist answering out loud.
"Are you even sixteen yet?"
Having confirmed her identity, Ander continued gruffly.
"In three months, I will be… But why do you ask, Mr. Skeleton Mage?"
The odd question left Christina confused, but she answered anyway, curiosity getting the better of her.
"So, you're just a little brat…"
Finding it cumbersome to keep holding his staff, Ander strapped it back behind his neck before venting his frustration.
"Christina, has no one ever taught you that you should *never* make a Soulbound Pact with an undead creature?!"
Ander felt exasperated. This thin little girl was supposed to be a necromancer, part of a profession infamous for its cunning and ruthlessness? He wanted to point at her nose and berate her, but seeing her already crestfallen expression, he couldn't bring himself to continue.
**Lucky for you, you're not a man. Otherwise, I'd turn your face into a punching bag!**
Inwardly fuming, Ander visualized the target of his frustration as his old boss from work back on Earth.
---
"Tina doesn't have a mentor… This necromancer scroll was left behind by my grandfather. I followed the instructions on it, but I didn't know I shouldn't make a Soulbound Pact… I'm sorry, Mr. Skeleton Mage. I thought it was necessary…"
Christina's voice trembled slightly as she spoke, her large eyes glistening with tears she struggled to hold back. She turned the worn scroll in her hands to show Ander. Despite its dilapidated state, the writing was in the same language as the *Kasnikov Notes*, allowing Ander to read it easily.
Faced with this pitiful sight, Ander couldn't stay mad. Instead, he felt an odd sense of guilt, as if *he* were the one in the wrong.
Scanning the scroll, Ander quickly realized the issue. The beginning described the **Dark Pact** process, but a large hole had obliterated the instructions for using it. What followed immediately after was the **Soulbound Pact**, with a clear note stating it could also be used alongside the Dark Pact.
**Who wrote this mess?! What a trap!**
---
"Alright, alright. It's not your fault. Now, can you tell me where we are?"
Letting the matter drop, Ander changed the topic. Based on their earlier exchange, he suspected Christina really didn't have a mentor. Otherwise, she wouldn't be dealing with a mere Level 4 skeleton mage like him.
---
"This is Maya City. Um… It's the largest city in the north of the Duchy of Ruger, and it has one of the continent's four major magic academies, the Boeing Academy of Magic…"
Christina's face lit up as she continued. Her enthusiasm was evident as she detailed the academy's history, its goddess-blessed entrance gate, its six Archmage deans, and its annual admission exam.
By the time she finished, Ander could picture the academy vividly, from its architecture to the pompous attitudes of the archmages.
---
"And what, exactly, did you summon me for?"
Having listened patiently, Ander finally got to the point. Based on Christina's ramblings, he suspected she wanted to take part in the academy's entrance exam, which required a 500-gold entry fee and a demonstration of skill, typically through summoning a skeleton warrior.
But looking around at her modest home, Ander doubted she had 500 gold coins.
"I… I want to compete in the Boeing Magic Tournament," Christina murmured, casting a guilty glance at Ander.
"What?!"
Ander jumped up, his bony finger pointing accusingly at the timid girl.
The Boeing Magic Tournament, held every three years, was famed for its high stakes and equally high mortality rate—nearly 30% of participants didn't survive.
With Christina's current abilities, her chances of walking out alive were slim at best. And now that they were bound by the Soulbound Pact, her death would spell his doom as well.
"No way. Absolutely not! If you dare to go, I'll… I'll fight you!"
Ander's fierce tone left no room for argument.
Despite her obvious fear, Christina bit her lip and shook her head vigorously.
"No, I have to compete! Because… because…"